Service members with orders sometimes choose to do part or all of a move on their own. The name for that choice is a PPM, and it is also called a do-it-yourself move.
Full and partial PPMs
Military OneSource explains the difference. A household goods move is one where the government schedules a mover to pack, ship and unpack. A full PPM, also known as a do-it-yourself move, is when the member decides to move the household items instead. A partial PPM is done together with a household goods move, for example when a member carries some items in a personal vehicle while the mover ships the rest.
How it is booked
A PPM is created as a shipment in the Defense Personal Property System, and the system helps calculate the estimated incentive payment. Orders are needed to book, and the local installation transportation office is the place to confirm entitlements before you start. Weight tickets, both full and empty, are part of the documentation, so planning where to weigh a rented truck or portable container belongs at the front of the plan.
Where a moving company can still help
Some members want to drive the truck themselves but would like help with the heavy loading. O'Brien's loads and unloads rental trucks, trailers and PODS, and it also sells packing supplies at the Sparks office. O'Brien's is DOD approved to move and store military household goods; government-arranged moves are booked through the installation Personal Property Office and DPS, not directly with a mover.
The comparison of the two paths is on government move vs PPM.
Before you commit
- Get counseling at your transportation office first
- Create the shipment in DPS before moving
- Plan the weighing of the vehicle, full and empty
- Keep receipts as the transportation office advises
See how DPS works and the PCS moving checklist for the rest.
How a PPM fits the rest of a military move
A PPM is one of several shipment types, and a member can combine it with a government-arranged shipment. The transportation office is the right place to hear how your own orders treat each part, because entitlements differ by orders. After the move, the paperwork goes back to that same office.